Haunting You
by ObsydianDreamer
Summary: When Roderich Edelstein moved into a new apartment, he never thought he be sharing it with an annoying yet somewhat charming Prussian ghost. AU PruAus
1. The New Apartment

AN: A new fic of mine. Thanks to Lily Icerem and Baylee Shadow for beta-ing.

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Hetalia.

**Haunting You**

**Chapter One – The New Apartment**

By ObsydianDreamer

* * *

The new apartment was perfect.

There was no other way it could be described. The place was spacious, with two bedrooms, a living room, a study, a full kitchen and a bathroom. It was also impeccably clean and well-kept, despite being old, with no visible damage anywhere. It came with the furniture, and there was even a grand piano in the living room.

It really was the most ideal living space for the classical music student Roderich Edelstein.

"So, do you like the place?" the landlady, Elizaveta, asked. She was Hungarian, and seemed rather friendly.

"Yes. Very much so," Roderich replied. "I just can't believe that the place is renting for so little."

Normally, he wouldn't be able to afford such an apartment on his student living allowance, but the place was going for next to nothing. In fact, when Roderich had first heard about it, he thought that there'd have to be something horrifically wrong with it.

However, nothing was wrong with the place.

Really, it all seemed too good to be true

Elizaveta sighed. "I would like to get more for it, but no one ever stays here for long."

Roderich couldn't believe it. Who wouldn't want to stay in a place like this? Smiling, Roderich spoke.

"I'll take it."

"Good!" Elizaveta said, beaming. "You'll be able to move in tomorrow."

* * *

Moving in to his new apartment didn't take long.

He packed up his belongings, which mostly consisted of clothes, studying supplies and music books into a few boxes and piled them into a taxi before telling the driver the location and climbing into the car.

For Roderich, moving out of the temporary dorm at the academy was a relief. It was cramped, constantly untidy and he'd had to share it with a hyperactive American who would play loud video games until early morning and perverted Frenchman who brought home someone different every night.

"_You'd think people attending a prestigious academy would be more formal than that,_" Roderich thought.

Before long, they'd arrived at the apartment. Paying the driver and taking out his possessions, Roderich walked into the entrance. He went to use the elevator, only to find an "out of order" sign hanging on it.

"Odd. It was working yesterday," Roderich said aloud. Realising that he'd have to take the stairs, Roderich sighed, and grabbed the first box. His apartment was on the fourth floor, which meant eight flights of stairs.

By the time he reached his apartment, Roderich was exhausted. Fumbling in his pocket for the key, he opened his door and stepped into his apartment. He placed the box on the dining table, and collapsed into the nearest couch for a few minutes before starting the long trip down and back up.

* * *

After his second trip up the stairs, Roderich was even more tired than the first time. He walked into his apartment, and went to put the packing box with the other one on the table...

Only to find that there was no box there.

Roderich stopped and thought for a moment. Something wasn't right; he could have sworn he'd put the first box on the table.

Perplexed, Roderich left to get the third and final box of his things.

* * *

Opening the door to his apartment for the third time, Roderich was shocked when he found the table empty and the second box missing as well.

Scowling, he realised that someone must have been playing a prank on him. It was the only rational solution. Locking the door behind him, he went to search the apartment for the perpetrator.

"Hello?" Roderich called out. "Is someone here? If you're playing a prank, it really isn't funny."

Walking towards the other side of the apartment, Roderich checked both bedrooms and the bathroom but found no trace of anyone. Pausing for a moment, he heard the faint sound of laughter coming from the living room.

"Kesesese..."

Marching back to the living room, Roderich began to call out. "Look, whoever you are-"

He stopped mid-sentence as he found the living room empty and the two missing boxes back on the table. Confused, Roderich went to check the door.

It was still locked.

Sightly unnerved, Roderich started to unpack his things.

* * *

That night, at some ungodly hour in the morning, Roderich was awoken by the sound of static coming from the next room.

Still half-asleep, he reached for his glasses from the bedside table and got up. The floor was cold on his feet, waking him up slightly more, and he quietly walked to the study. There, he found that the television had been turned on.

He didn't even know there was a television in that room. Not long after, he once again heard laughter coming from somewhere nearby.

"Kesesese..."

_Completely_ unnerved by this point, Roderich stepped into the room, turned it off, and quickly retreated back to his own room, shutting and locking the bedroom door.

He had to admit it now; there was something really not right about the apartment.

"_Maybe it's haunted..._" he found himself thinking before pushing away the idea. Roderich always thought of himself as logically minded, so the idea of his apartment having something supernatural about it didn't seem possible. It couldn't be haunted; the television probably just turned on because of some faulty wiring.

"Anyway," he said aloud, as if to encourage himself. "Ghosts don't exist...they can't exist; it's impossible..."

Somewhat reassured in his thinking, he fell back to sleep.

* * *

That morning, Roderich was awoken by the sound of his alarm.

Yawning, he felt a whole lot less anxious than he did that night. What had happened felt distant; as if it had all been a bad dream.

"_Yes_," he thought. "_It was all just a bad dream_." Sitting up, he reached over for his glasses, only to find that they weren't where he'd left them. Frowning, he got up anyway and dressed and prepared for the day, before making his way to the kitchen.

His vision was slightly blurred, and he stumbled over to the bench. When he got there, he was surprised to find his glasses, along with a note. It was handwritten, and simply said:

**"You're not the only one inhabiting this place..."**

At that moment, all the open doors in the apartment slammed shut. Roderich could feel his heart start to race, as he tried to get a grasp on what was happening.

"This isn't real! This isn't happening!" Roderich said aloud, slightly panicked as he stepped back.

Suddenly, he felt a deathly cold presence grab him from behind and shout.

"BOO!"

Roderich screamed, and ran out of the apartment, the sound of now-familiar laughter following him out.

* * *

**AN: Well, I didn't mean to write this, especially when I already have way too many stories that need my attention (****_Everlasting Stars, His Mockingjay, Biohazard_****, etc...) but I had this idea and it stole my attention.**

**So, what do you think? Should I continue? Anyway, please review so I can improve my writing. I appreciate every review.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**ObsydianDreamer**


	2. Roommates

AN: Thanks to Peace Lover xD, Veliko, Multi-fandoms-weirdo, and HandMTomatoes who all reviewed the first chapter! Also, thanks to all of those who followed or faved this story!

Thanks to OzzieLiber-Tea for beta-ing this chapter.

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Hetalia.

**Haunting You**

**Chapter Two – Roommates**

By ObsydianDreamer

* * *

After the supernatural incident that morning, Roderich had not re-entered the apartment, opting instead to head straight to the academy.

However, being at the academy had not improved his day; not even his music studies bettered his mood. He was still shaken from the thoughts of that morning, and because of that, he'd found it difficult to concentrate on anything _else_.

His new apartment was haunted by a ghost who seemed to find pleasure in messing with people, if his experience was anything to go by. No wonder he'd gotten the place for so cheap; the spirit must have driven away the past tenants.

He should have known it was too good to be true.

Now, Roderich faced a dilemma: should he leave the apartment and move back into the academy dorms, or should he stay at the place and put up with a potentially annoying or dangerous ghost?

Debate raged in his mind. He really didn't want to move back into the school dorms, but the idea of living with some kind of supernatural being understandably unnerved him. However, the grand piano in the living room of the apartment meant that he'd be able to practice his music studies whenever he need to, and it was nice to have space for once.

And Roderich had to admit that the ghost didn't seem particularly malevolent.

Not yet, anyway.

With all of that in mind, he decided to stay at the apartment, for the time being, at least.

* * *

Despite his earlier decision, Roderich had delayed returning to the apartment for as long as possible. It was now early evening; the setting of the sun casting eerie shadows over everything.

The decreasing light did nothing to help Roderich's anxieties. At current, he was at the front door, trying to summon the will and courage to enter. He knew lingering in apprehension wasn't going to achieve anything, but he wasn't keen of meeting the spirit again.

Finally, he couldn't put it off any longer. Opening the door, which creaked loudly as it swung open, Roderich stepped into the dark apartment. Flicking on a light, he waited for something to happen.

Nothing did. Instead, there was just silence.

Curious, Roderich walked to the centre of the room and began to speak.

"Hello?" He called out to the seemingly empty apartment. "Is someone or _something_ there?"

Still, no reply came, and Roderich began to think he'd imagined it all. It was the logical conclusion after all; in his sleep deprived and stressed state of having to live in the dorm for so long, he'd made up the ghost in his mind.

Satisfied with his thinking, and relieved, he turned around, only to come face to face with a ghostly figure.

* * *

Roderich stumbled back, too shocked to speak. The Ghost, meanwhile, thought the whole situation was hilarious, their now somewhat familiar and strange laugh echoing through the room.

"You're such a wuss!" the Ghost said while still laughing. "You should have since your face! And this morning, it was so funny! You squealed like a girl!"

Roderich's previous fear had now been replaced with indignation at the insult. "I did not!"

"You so did," The Ghost retorted, a smirk on its face.

Sensing that this was going to turn into one of those 'did not, did too' arguments, Roderich switched the topic to the very large elephant in the room.

Namely, the fact that he was speaking to an actual ghost. He tried to think of an intelligent remark or statement to say, but in the end, all he managed was a simple observation.

"You're a ghost."

"No shit, Sherlock!" The Ghost said derisively. "Really, you seemed like you were smarter than that."

"No, no, I meant..." Roderich stopped for a moment, trying to think of what he actually meant. "It's just that...You shouldn't exist. Ghost's aren't real!"

The Ghost crossed its arms, exasperated. "I thought we were past that, Specs. I am a ghost, and I am very, _very_ real."

Roderich merely nodded. "Okay." Was all he said, and without another word he walked over to the kitchen, collapsing into one of the dining chairs with his head in his hands. The realisation of everything had just sunk in, and he felt rather faint. Thoughts swirled though his mind, most of them along the lines of "_Dear God, there is a real ghost in my apartment_", and "_What am I going to do?_"

A voice close to him spoke up.

"To your credit, nine out of ten previous residents had run out screaming by this point," The Ghost said rather casually. Roderich lifted his head to see that the Ghost had settled in the chair across from him, looking rather bored with everything.

"Really? Only nine out of ten?" Roderich said in a sarcastic tone. "I wonder why."

"Yeah. Only one stayed much longer than a day," The Ghost replied, ignoring the last part of Roderich's sentence. "The guy staying here just before you was an Englishman who actually believed in ghosts."

That surprised Roderich. "Why did he leave?"

"He said I annoyed him too much," The Ghost replied, continuing before Roderich could ask any more questions. "Anyway, since you're going to be my roomie, I'll tell you the rules."

Roderich didn't think it was fair that the ghost was setting the rules when _he_ was the one paying the rent, but he decided to hear the ghost out.

"Number One," The Ghost begun slowly, as if Roderich were too dumb to understand. It moved out of the chair, floating slightly off the ground, pacing back and forward as it spoke. "You do not enter my room under any circumstances."

That seemed fair enough, Roderich had to admit.

"Number Two, you are to praise the awesomness of me every day."

"You can't be serious," Roderich cut in, disbelieving.

The Ghost stopped and turned to Roderich."Of course I am. I am the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt, and my awesomeness deserves to be praised!"

"_So the ghost has a name_," Roderich thought. "So your name is Gilbert?"

"Ja, don't wear it out," The Ghost named Gilbert replied, a large smirk on his pale face. "What's your name, Specs?"

"Roderich," Roderich replied, slightly irritated. "Roderich Edelstein."

"Wow. Even your name is prissy."

By that point, Roderich understood why the previous tenant had left. The Ghost's attitude was starting to annoy him, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to deal with him if he acted like this all the time.

"_But,_" Roderich reasoned. "_He might be different once I'm settled in. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt._"

"So, what do ya say, Roddy?" The Ghost- no, Gilbert - inquired. "You gonna stay?"

He knew he should stay. It was a nice apartment, and while Gilbert seemed annoying, he wasn't all _that_ bad.

Still, there was a voice in the back of his head telling him he would come to regret this. But he decided to ignore it, at least for the time being.

"Yes," Roderich replied, confidently. "I think I will."

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**~ObsydianDreamer**


	3. Mayhem Unfolds

AN: Thanks to everyone who faved, followed and reviewed last chapter! You guys rock! Sorry for the long wait...

Also, thanks to OzzieLiber-Tea who beta read this chapter.

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Hetalia.

**Haunting You**

**Chapter Three –Mayhem Unfolds**

By ObsydianDreamer

* * *

It took Roderich less than eight hours to start regretting his decision to stay with the ghost named Gilbert.

It had all started off fine. After Roderich had agreed to stay, the two had little more to say. Gilbert had floated over to the couch and started to watch whatever was on TV. Roderich, meanwhile, went to the study to work on one of his musical assignments about the arrangement of one of Beethoven's symphonies.

When he'd finished up a few hours later, walking to the kitchen to get a drink before bed, the Ghost was nowhere to be found. Roderich just shrugged it off, thinking that Gilbert probably had other things to do. Roderich even thought it was partially a good thing; if the Ghost was busy doing something else then he wasn't bothering _him_.

Yawning, Roderich decided to head to bed, looking forward to a full nights rest.

Little did he know, Gilbert had other plans...

* * *

It started at just past two o'clock that morning. Roderich, who had been peacefully asleep, was woken up by a cacophony of sound coming from the living room. With little other option, he put on his glasses and slid out of bed, to see what the noise was coming from.

Reaching the living room, he found Gilbert on the grand piano, pressing down on random keys, a mischievous smile adorning his face.

"Why on earth are you doing that?!" Roderich shouted over the noise, rushing over to try and stop it before he got complaints from his neighbours.

"Because the awesome me is bored," Gilbert casually replied, continuing to play. "Ghosts don't sleep."

Slamming the lid over the keys and killing the noise, he glared at Gilbert, speaking sternly. "Then find something else to do, instead of waking up the whole building."

Gilbert just looked at him derisively, smirking. "Make me, Specs."

Instantly, Gilbert disappeared, and the piano once again made noise, even louder than before. Unable to do anything, Roderich returned to his room, sulking. Flopping in his bed, he folded his pillow around his ears, trying to block out the noise and fall back asleep.

* * *

The next day wasn't much better.

Roderich arrived home from the Academy, feeling completely drained. He'd gotten no sleep the previous night; Gilbert had continued to play the piano well into early morning. Tired and irritable, he was in no mood to find what he did in the kitchen.

All of the crockery he owned had been intricately stacked into a completely unstable tower, ready to collapse at any second.

He sighed; he really wasn't in the mood for this. He slowly walked over to the tower, stepping lightly to avoid causing it to fall. With surgical precision, he began to slowly unpack the tower, starting with the cups and glasses at the top. He soon realised that Gilbert had filled all the cups and glasses with water.

Roderich cursed; the ghost had thought of everything.

"Something wrong specs?" Gilbert said, startling Roderich, and nearly causing him to knock the tower. He turned furiously to the ghost, who tried to look innocent.

"You know what's wrong!" Roderich snapped, glaring at him. Gilbert just chuckled, and materialised right next to the tower.

"This certainly doesn't look stable," Gilbert remarked, smiling mischievously. "It'd be a shame if someone were to push it..."

"Don't even _think_ about it," Roderich hissed, but Gilbert didn't care.

"Three..." Gilbert counted. "Two..."

With little other choice, Roderich sprinted out of the kitchen just before Gilbert said one. There was an almighty crash as the tower of crockery smashed on the floor, sending shards of broken glass and china everywhere.

There was complete silence for a moment, before Gilbert began to cackle. Enraged and completely frustrated, Roderich sifted through the remains until he found an almost intact mug. He threw it with all his force at the ghost, but the mug just went straight through him, shattering on the wall behind.

"Tsk tsk, temper issues!" Gilbert tutted, still laughing. "Later specs."

Gilbert soon disappeared, leaving Roderich behind with the mess. He just sighed; it was going to take hours to sweep up.

* * *

It soon became clear that Gilbert's antics were an everyday thing.

Not a single day passed without something going awry for Roderich; it wasn't all as spectacular as the crockery tower, though. Sometimes, Gilbert simply made things float in midair or made doors slam in the middle of the night. More often than not, the ghost would also steal Roderich's things, and hide them somewhere hard to find or reach. This was especially annoying, since his glasses tended to be Gilbert's favourite thing to make disappear.

Roderich could feel his already slim patience growing thinner every day.

The last straw happened on an otherwise normal Tuesday night. He had arrived back to the apartment after a long and stressful day at the Academy to find the absolute worse - and very probably messiest – incident so far.

Every wall was covered in wet paint. Every colour of the rainbow was there, from bright yellow to leap green to blood red. Gilbert, meanwhile, sat on the couch, looking very proud of himself indeed.

"Where did you even get the paint from?!" Roderich asked. It was the only coherent thought in his mind.

"There's an Italian man on the second level who is terrified by nearly everything," Gilbert replied, smirking. "He's so much fun to scare..."

Roderich stepped around the apartment, looking for signs of other damage. He could feel his anger rising; the paint had gotten everywhere, staining the furniture and carpet. Gilbert just floated behind him, looking pleased with himself.

"Hmm, quite a mess, isn't it?" Gilbert teased, a proud tone in his voice.

"Why do you do this?!" Roderich snapped, no longer able to contain his fury. Gilbert had been causing all of the chaos on purpose, and he wouldn't take it any longer. "What's the point, causing all of this mindless destruction? It just makes you even more annoying. It's no wonder sane people can't stand staying around you for more than a day!"

Breathing heavily from his rant, Roderich waited for Gilbert's reply. What he said must have touched a nerve, because the ghost stared straight at him, his eyes filled with a mix of fury and sadness. Before anything else could be said, Gilbert disappeared.

Roderich sighed. He'd gone too far with his last comment, and now he was the one in the wrong. He knew he'd have to apologise, but he was too tired to do it that night.

"_Besides,_" Roderich thought. "He won't want to talk for a while anyway."

Deciding to try to talk to Gilbert the following morning, he just went straight to bed, falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

**AN: Hope you like the chapter. I'm sorry to say that future chapters might take a while to be posted.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**~ObsydianDreamer**


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